Mystery shrouds Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev's upcoming trip to Switzerland, where an investigation into possible corrupt practices of top Kazakhstani officials is ongoing. Officials are tight-lipped about the agenda for Nazarbayev's planned meetings with Swiss officials on January 20-21.

Prosecutors in Kazakhstan are outlining their case against a prominent opposition journalist standing trial on charges of raping a teenage girl. Defense lawyers maintain that the case is politically motivated. Meanwhile, international observers have noted that mass media coverage and the general public have been barred from the proceedings.

The examination of witnesses in the trial of Sergei Duvanov began January 6 at the Karasay District Court in Almaty. Duvanov is accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in late October, a charge the journalist vigorously denies.

As Kazakhstan and China confront difficult border issues, Kazakhstan's strategic planners may soon invoke the notion that Uighur separatists on Kazakhstani soil threaten China's stability. China has cracked down on Uighur separatists, who want to make a semi-autonomous region of eastern China into an independent country.

Independent journalist Sergei Duvanov is facing charges of raping a 14-year-old girl, charges Duvanov denies. Another independent journalist, Nuri Muftakh, was run over in the parking lot of a bus station earlier this month. And the leader of Kazakhstan's Communist Party, Serikbolsyn Abdildin, said someone recently tried to poison him.

Concerned about an increased terrorism threat in Central Asia, Kazakhstan's government is diverting an increasing amount of resources to domestic security. However, officials realize that unilateral security initiatives stand less of a chance of success than a coordinated regional effort, and are seeking to enhance strategic ties with neighboring states.

Kazakhstani authorities detained Duvanov in late October and formally charged him with rape on November 7 Duvanov flatly denies the accusation, saying the government is attempting to gain revenge for investigative reports that he published concerning high-level corruption. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archives].

Some officials and experts in Kazakhstan believe the government has "lost control" over the country's energy sector, and want to take steps to reduce the influence of foreign conglomerates over oil and gas development. A few have reportedly proposed tapping into Kazakhstan's oil fund to finance new state-controlled energy ventures.